- Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
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Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance 
Type Registered charity No. 10786857 Founded January 2000 Location HQ: Wellington, Somerset
Aircraft: Henstridge, SomersetArea served Dorset, Somerset Focus Air ambulance Revenue £2.87 million[1] Employees 13 (excluding pilots & paramedics) Website dorsetandsomersetairambulance.org.uk The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a registered charity, which uses a helicopter to provide an air ambulance service to the English counties of Dorset and Somerset. The air ambulance came into service in March 2000, following the success of similar schemes, such as Devon Air Ambulance Trust and Cornwall Air Ambulance. The air ambulance headquarters are at Wellington in Somerset, but the helicopter is based at Henstridge Airfield in Somerset.
Contents
Aircraft
The current helicopter is a Eurocopter EC 135, callsign Helimed 10, which has been in service since 2007.[2] Travelling at speeds up to 150 knots (170 mph; 280 km/h), it can land in an area half the size of a tennis court, and can reach anywhere in the two counties within twenty minutes of an emergency call.[3] It is crewed by one pilot and two paramedics and can carry two patients on stretchers. The pilots are employed by Bond Air Services, the company which leases the helicopter to the air ambulance service, and the paramedics are employed by South Western Ambulance Service.
Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance over Sturminster Newton
Operations
In May 2011, the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance flew its 8,000th mission,[4][5] and as of November 2011[update] it has flown at total of 8,233. In 2009, the helicopter flew 982 missions,[5] an increase on the 853 flown in 2008. Typical incidents, for which the assistance of the air ambulance is requested by South Western Ambulance Service, include road traffic collisions and horse riding accidents due to the remote locations and the severity of injuries involved in such incidents.
The helicopter is leased from Bond Air Services and costs in excess of £3,800 per day to run,[4] this money has to be raised largely from charitable donations. The charity is supported by volunteers spread across the two counties who work to raise funds to ensure that this service continues. It also runs a weekly lottery which, to date, has over 18,000 members.
See also
References
- ^ "Financial History". The Charity Commission. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/FinancialHistory.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1078685&SubsidiaryNumber=0. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ^ "New helicopter for air ambulance". BBC News. 1 March 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6409487.stm. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ http://somersetgateway.somerset.gov.uk/records/OrganisationRecord.jsp?category=Search+All&doc=0&maxdoc=1&query=_primary_key:27436
- ^ a b "Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance attends 8,000 calls". BBC News. 4 May 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13278842. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Usage Statistics". Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. http://www.dsairambulance.org.uk/about-us/usage-statistics/. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
External links
Categories:- Air ambulance services in the United Kingdom
- Health charities in the United Kingdom
- Organisations based in Somerset
- 2000 establishments in England
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